Why isn't anybody talking about a mini-split AC? Portables are notorious for being shitty and the cost to operate is insane.
I was wondering why I didn't see this reply either, even a window unit is better than a portable from what I hear.
First of all, if you can, return that portable AC because those things are just useless for growing from what everyone was telling me when I needed an AC. Unless I'm mistaken the portable units usually have two duct hoses, one for the intake and one for the exhaust. Where are you exhausting the heat from your portable unit to? Air conditioners create a lot of heat so if you aren't properly removing that from your grow room that would definitely explain why your temps are so high. And now that we're on the subject of ventilation, what's your ventilation set up for the room like?
And OP could you answer something for me? How sealed is the room you're growing in? 12k BTU should be PLENTY for your grow room. I was experiencing heat issues in my 420sqft grow room because the AC I was using wasn't powerful enough to cool the room efficiently. The result was I was paying TONS to barely cool the room. My 12k BTU window unit is mounted to the side of my completely sealed grow room and it keeps the entire box at a consistent 74-77 during lights on and I have 2 1000 watt bulbs going. Look on Amazon, there's a nice $300 12k BTU and it's been working wonders for me. I live where it gets to 95-105 sometimes and when it was 97 here my grow room was still 77 degrees.
I'd recommend getting yourself a window AC, it's a nice compromise until you're able to afford a mini-split. Just consider that each 1000 watt bulb puts off 3750 BTUs of heat so when you're looking for an air conditioner make sure that you're using at LEAST 4000 if not 5000BTUs per light. Best of luck OP!
